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Description: A dark illustration depicting a small side street at night or early morning. In the background we see the fading tops of small neighborhood buildings. In the foreground is a telephone pole, illuminated by a glowing phoenix sitting on the wires. Birb is birb.
people often ask me what i mean when i mention "witherjacks" or talk about other "suburban spirits," so i decided to make a sort of creature compendium. here it is, the complete guide to Nightmare Vision Suburbia.
first of all, when i speak of suburban spirits, i'm referring to curses born of human suffering. most, but not all, of these take the form of malevolent entities or creatures. the inherent loneliness and inhumanity of living in a suburb made this place the perfect breeding ground for such things. you can think of it like the curse of the evil eye; if that curse is caused by envy, the suburban spirits are caused by loneliness and hatred.
surrounded by land where the government allows nothing to be built except more and more nearly-identical houses, it was only a matter of time before all the stress would bleed into the surrounding forests. at any rate, here are the spirits i've come across:
fig. 1: Witherjack - the most common type of malicious suburban spirit. they resemble tall black crabs or spiders, and in their mature form, they may have what resembles an enormous jeering human head for a torso. they're very dangerous, extremely quick, and devour humans and animals alike. they're most drawn to those who keep their curtains, blinds, or windows open at night, and those who walk the dark streets outside alone. they don't like to be seen, so avoiding the forest and walking with others in your company is a good enough deterrent. if one looks for futher protection, i recommend carrying an evil eye charm and/or bearing a hamsa whenever you leave your home; it seems that much like the Evil Eye curse itself, they are strongly repelled by these symbols. like all suburban spirits, they hibernate during the day due to their vulnerability to sunlight.
fig. 2: Abyssal Dessicator - the rarest type of suburban spirit. these i have only seen in my dreams, and are often lurking in less trafficked areas such as forests and bike trails at night. they're slow, but twitch violently at all times. the hearts which beat above their head can be used to telepathically siphon you of blood whenever you're met by its hollow gaze. one could destroy an abyssal dessicator by destroying all 4 of its hearts, but that would be quite the undertaking to do without it finding you and bleeding you dry first. the best protection is still a hamsa/evil eye charm and avoiding the dark when alone.
fig. 3: Forest Weeper - these spirits resemble floating eyes crying tears of blood, and are commonly found dwelling in the forested areas which divide housing districts, hence the name. though technically malevolent, they are easy to avoid, but that doesn't mean you should go for a walk in the forest alone at night. the "blood tears" are actually long optic nerves; these spirits are psychic and can cause vivid, nightmarish hallucinations if they're able to latch this nerve onto your skin. they will commonly shriek when doing this, which functions to alert other spirits, especially witherjacks, to your location.
fig. 4: Leech Specter - these spirits use the pointed edge of their face like a hammer or axe to pulverize their victims. once a significant bloodflow is established, it will release leeches from its gills, which consume said blood, along with much of its soft tissue. this is how the entity feeds. like all other malevolent suburban entities, they're repulsed by the hamsa/evil eye symbology.
fig. 5: Snow Reaper - these spirits hibernate during all of Spring and Summer, but can become active as early as November. They are drawn to snowy areas (hence their name), especially those which have yet to be imprinted upon by human footsteps. despite their long and thin stature, they are quite fast and very strong. they have been known to get on all fours in order to move closer and have their jaws positioned at the ready.
fig. 6: Cornfield Sprite - one example of a benign curse, cornfield sprites are peaceful entities which simply feed on cornfields at night. they dislike being seen and often vanish when directly observed. they prefer clear weather due to their natural fondness for moonlight.
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